Door-operating mechanism



F. W. CROSBY.

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION. EILED NOV. 1., 1920. u

Patented J une 27, 1922.

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nw. CROSBY. D003 OPERATING MECHANISNI.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I. 1920.

1,421 1 77 Patented June 2.7-,- 1922,

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Specification of Letters Patent.

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Patented June 27, 1922.

Application filed November 1, 1920. Serial No. 421,067.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRED W. CROSBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Garnett, in the county of Anderson and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Operating Mechanisms; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description vof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. y

Myinvention relates to door operating mechanisms and more particularly to those which are designed primarily for'use on garages and the like, to be self-opening as a vehicle approaches, whereby s uch v ehicle may be driven into thebuilding without the necessity of the driver leaving the same to open the door. t

The principal object of my invention is to provide a novel door operating mechanism which is operated by compressed air, novel provision being made whereby such air normally acts to hold the 4door in closed position, but is automatically released upon the approach of a vehicle, whereupon a series of weights and a cable comeinto play to open the door, one of said weights serving to again place the door closing means in an operative condition, whereby to return the door to closed position.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel constructionand combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a garage showing the application of my invention to a sliding door thereof, the door being shown in closed osition.

Figure 2 is a view similarto F ig.A 1 but showing the door in the act of opening.Y

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to Figs. 1 and 2, showing the door in completely opened position.

Figure 4; is a horizontal sectional` view as indicated by line P-4 of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a detail transverse section on the plane designated by line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view as indicated byline 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Figure 7 is a detail horizontal sectional Vview taken on line 7 7 of Fig. 1.

In the drawingsabove briefly described1 theV numeral 1 designates a garage or other building having a door opening 2 and a door 3 for closing said opening, said door being slidably mounted on suitable hangers 4L. and a horizontal track 5. Av compressed air cylinder 6 is rigidly secured to the inner side of the door 3 and ispositioned horizontally, said cylinder having therein a relatively fixed piston 7 which is carried` by theend of a compressed air supply pipevS, which pipe may be rigidly mounted in any preferredmanner and may welllead from a'compressed air tank 9, although any other suitable source of vair pressure could be utilized. The end'of the cylinder 6 is preferably enlarged as seen at 10and is closed by a head or cap 11, the latterbeing provided with an air escape opening 12 and a preferably pivoted valve 13 for normally closing said opening, whereby the air entering the cylinder between the piston andthe cylinder head will act to close the door 3. I make provision however for opening the valve 13 when a vehicle approaches the garage whereby theairmay escape from the cylinder 6, and a novel arrangement of parts is employed vfor then opening the door.

The valve opening means might'assume` numerous forms, Vbut for illustrative purd poses,`I have shown. a vertically-movable rod 14: slidablein appropriate bearings 15 carried by the building 1 and normally depressed by means of a coiled spring 16. When the door is closed, a lateral arm 17 on the pivoted valve 13 overlies the rod 14 as shown clearly in Fig. 1 and it thus fol lows that if this rod is raised, the valve' will be turned on its pivot 18 and moved to an open position, so that the air may escape from the cylinder 6 and allow the door 3 to open. For raising the rod 14, I have shown a horizontal lever 19 which may be inset in the approach to the garage door, the inner end of said lever underlying the aforesaid rod, while the outer end thereof is equipped with a cross arm or the like 2O to be depressed by the vehicle wheels as will be clear from the dotted lines of Fig. 4. It will be seen that as soon as'the lever 19 is rocked b depression of this cross arm 20, the rod 14 is raised against the tension of the spring 16, thereby opening the valve 13 and permitting the escape of air from the cylinder will probably be understood from the foregoing, it may be well to give `a brief explanation` thereof, and to this end, we will asoverlying the rod 14. When now a machine i -orother vehicle approaches the garage door, the wheelsstrike anddepress the cross arm `.20, thereby rocking the lever 19 and raising be of such tension that the weight of a per son on the cross arm 2O would notrock the lever 19 to raise the aforesaidA rod. It may thus be insured that unauthorized persons shall not enter the garage by this means.

`For opening the door 3 after release of the compressed air from the cylinder 6, I provide a cable 25 having a counterbalancing weight 26 of sufficient size to open the door when saidweight is allowed to descend by.- gravity. This weight, when the door is closed, stands in an elevatedposition as seen infFig. 1` butplowers as indicated bythearrow infF-ig. 2, for the purpose oi opening the door. The cable 25 passesaround suitable guides 27 which are fixed with respect to the idooll Stand-the end of said cable remote from the weight `26passes over a guide or pulley 28 which ismovable bodily with said door, being preferably carried by an apropriate bracket 29. Belowthe pulley, the racket- 29 is provided with a cable guide or eye 30 through `which-the-free end of the cable 25 passes, said end being provided with a relatively light weight 31 `which normally abutsisaid eye so that an operative connection is established between the cable and the door: for thepurpose of opening the latter as theweightv26 ldescends. 'It will be" observed byreference to Figs. 1and2, that the Yweight 131 is in vertical alignment with the lateralarm' 17 of the air release valve 13.

`ilft will .be-further observedby comparing Figs.` 1, 2and 3, that; after the weight 26 has loweredto the-maximum to partly open Athe door .3, the weight 31then descends to completetheopening movement of said door.

Byethe timelthedoor is completely opened,

the `weightl `strikes the arm 17 and thus 'closesithe valve 13.` The compressed air passing through the pipe 8 into the cylinder T6 thenbecomes etl'ectiveto slowly start the -dooron its closing movement, but before lsaiddoor has moved appreciably, the vehicle ris within the garage and the door may close `1iuninterruptedly. lVhen in completely closed oposition, the .door stands as seen in Fig. 1, avith the arm 17 again overlying the rod 14: fito be 4trippedby the next machine approaching; the building. If the door 3 is to be fopenedrirom the inside of the, garage, the

valve 13 may well be opened by hand, whereupon the weights `andcable will come into y play to open the door as above set forth,

Although the operation ofthe invention sume that the door?) stands closed as seen inFigl `with the arm 17 of the valve 13 the rod 14, with the result that said rod acts of the building or any other appropriate stop, the lighter weight 31 descends and completes the opening movement of the door, said last named weight eventually striking the arm 17 and serving t'o close the valve 13.' In the meantime, the vehicle has entered the garage andas the-compressed air from the. tank 9 now acts on the cylinder 6 and piston 7 to again close the door, such closing will not be interferred with. As the door closes, the weight 31 first returnslto its normal `position and then the cable 25 is pulled upon toraise the weight 26 to the elevated position of Fig. 1 so that it isy again in condition for use.

I claim: Y

`1. In combination, a door frame, a door slidable i toward `one vertical side of Vsaid trame, a y vehicleoperated valve opening member. stationarily` mounted atV said; side of the frame, a horizontal fluid pressure cylinderrigidly mounted on said door and havingan air Yescape opening in'theend adjacent saidside of the frame, a valve carried bodilyby said cylinderifor normally closing said opening, means for supplying Huid pressure to said cylinder, a iixed piston with- Vinvsaid cylinder-'whereby the VHuid pressure will act to force the door toward said side of the frame and close the same, said valve having an operating part in operative relation with said valve opening memberV when said door-is closed, whereby operation of said member will open said valve and release the air from saidl cylinder, means for' automatically opening the door when the Huid. pressure is released, and normally raised downwardly movable means automatically operable to engage said valve operating part andclose the valve when the door is completely opened.

2. In combination, a. frame, a door slidable toward one side of said frame to closed position, a normally lowered vehicle-raised valve-opening member stationarily mountedl at said side of the frame,ra horizontal iluid pressure cylinder rigidly mounted on said door and having an air escape opening in the end adjacent `said side of the frame, Aa valve member pivoted-to said end of the cylinder and closing said `opening when the door is` in closed position, said valve member having a lateral projection which overlies said valveopening member when the door is closed, wherebyraising of said member will open the valve to permit escape of fluid pressure from the cylinder, a

ciated therewith for supplying fluid pressure to the cylinder, together with normally raised means movable with the door and positioned above said projection of said valve member, said last named means being adapted to lower by gravity when the door is completely opened, whereby to strike said pro- Jection and again close said valve member.

3. The combination with a. passage and a door therefor; of means for holding said door in closed position by air pressure, said holding means having a pressure release valve movable bodily with said door, a cable connected with said door and having a counterbalancing weight for opening the door when said pressure release valve is opened, said counterbalancing vweight having limited downward movement, and a relatively light weight attached to the aforesaid cable and adapted to descend when the action of said counterbalancing weight ceases, said relatively light weight being adapted to close said pressure release valve as it descends.

4. Thecombination with a passage and a door therefor; of means for holding said door in closed position b-y air pressure, said holding means having a pressure release valve movable bodily with said door, a cab-le guide carried by said door above said pressure release valve, a cable trained over said cable guide at one end, a counterbalancing weight connected with the other end of said cable for partially opening the door when said pressure release valve is opened, said counterbalancing weight having limited downward movement, and a relatively light weight on the first named end of said cable adapted to lower and complete the opening movement of the door when said counterbalancing weight has reached the limit of its downward movement, said relatively light weight being adapted to strike and close said pressure release valve when the door is completely opened.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 1

FRED W. CROSBY. 

